DLC Blog

The Most Beautiful Equation

Let’s be a little nerdy and think what the most beautiful mathematical equation is.
Pythagoras’s Theorem: a^2 = b^2 + c^2? Good guess, but probably not the most beautiful.
Newton’s Second Law: F = ma? Good one, but no.
Ideal Gas Law: PV = nRT? Also another good guess, but no.

Arguably, the most beautiful equation is Euler’s Identity (pronounced “oy ler”):

where
is Euler’s number, also known as the base of the natural logarithm,
is the imaginary number, one of the complex numbers whose square is -1(the other is ), and
is pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

This equation (identity) is developed by mathematician and physicist called Leonhard Euler. He was a born in Swizerland on April 15, 1707. He developed important concepts and proved mathematical theorems in many different fields.

Why do mathematicians and physicists love this equation?
Well, it has five of the unique numbers in the world of mathematic. Three of them (e, i, & pi) are constants that are not commonly used in everyday life and two of them (1 & 0) are used everyday. One of the reasons this equation is beautiful is because it ties common and uncommon mathematical values together. Also, in the world of mathematics, it is considered to be beautiful if the equation is written with zero on one side.

If you are planning to study math, physics or engineering, you will probably see this equation somewhere.

Miyagi

Posted by Hayato at October 30, 2006 04:25 PM in Math.